At night, in low light conditions, it is often difficult to visualize approaching vehicles with limited ambient light associated with the approaching vehicle. In addition, some vehicles are not illuminated because they are parked with their lights turned off. One attempt to address these difficulties is with installing reflective lenses in the approaching vehicle, which, at least in part, reflect some of the light back towards the traveling vehicle, allowing the traveling vehicle to at least partially visualize the approaching vehicle. Other attempts include illuminating kits which require electrical circuitry to increase the visibility of approaching cars. Some of these attempts are utilized during the vehicle manufacturing process and some are after market items installed on the vehicle after the manufacturing process has been completed. Present limitations are addressed by the current invention, which is directed to a vehicle illumination layer.
Several automotive pigments including effect pigments, gloss or lustrous pigments are used to produce unique coloristic effects. Generally, these effect pigments have limited effect as they are generally governed by the optical properties related to reflection and/or interference phenomenon. Generally, finishes containing a visual effect pigment produce a “flop effect” whereby the coloristic characteristics of the surface change depending on the viewing angle. In general, when a change in the viewing angle results in a change in lightness, the effect is referred to as lightness flop, and when the changes are in hue, the effect is referred to as color flop. However, these effects are limited to situations with sufficient available ambient light to produce the coloristic effect and are only modified based upon a change in viewing angle. In situations with a constant viewing angle or with limited ambient light, these effects are not as visually noticeable. In addition, a change in color does not necessarily provide illumination for the associated vehicle. Therefore, there is a need to provide a special visual layer which provides an illumination effect in low light situations.
The present invention relates to the surprising discovery that by applying a semiconductor nanocrystal complex, stably coupled to tertiary molecules, an emission of light of a desired frequency is provided which allows for higher visibility of coated surfaces during low light level situations.